Squirrel

[massimomossi]

This is a frequent visitor to our birdfeeder; that tail is quite magnificent, and one of the finest tools any animal can have. I caught him sitting on this tiny branch on a snowy day, and he looked just like a Japanese painting.

Olympus 570-uz, ISO 80, lens at 80mm, f4.3, 1/400. Other than cropping, minimal editing in PSE7.

Feedback is welcome!

Massimo Ossi

[Robert Amoruso]

Massimo,

Composition is great IMO. This is a very unique way to present this subject. I might be tempted to say a bit more in the left and bottom should be investigated if possible. A bit of fill-flash would have been good here.

On the post-processing, the lack of fill flash can be compensated by the following. I used PSCS3 so not sure PSE7 can do Shadow/Highlights but fill light in Camera RAW could be used here too.

Using Shadows/Highlights (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=20434 for details), I opened up the shadows in the image. I also added midtone contrast using S/H. I then reduced overall saturation by 25 points.

I also sharpened the image using USM on a BG copy at 125/0.3/0.

[joel quenneville]

Welcome to BPN Massimo. I love the way you used a pano crop to enphasize his long tail. I agree with Robert's repost. I have PSE5 and Shadows and Highlights can be found under Enhance>Adjust Lighting>Shadows and Highlights. I hope this helps.

[Alfred Forns]

Big Warm Welcome Massimo !!!

Love the crop as presented Did not see an exposure compensation listed Much better to nail exposure than trying to fix in PS This one is under exposed by 2/3 or more. Any time you lighten the image you will get noise and the shadows looks mushy, I seldom use shadow/highlight any more. Check your histogram and get data on the last box to the right !!!!

[massimomossi]

Thank you for your responses--I like Robert's repost very much; the difference is subtle but significant. I'll keep the exposure compensation in mind for the future! He kept the pose long enough that I certainly could have made adjustments.

Massimo

[Robert Amoruso]

Joel,

Thanks for the feedback on how to do this in PSE.

Massimo,

Alfred has a good point on increasing exposure here. I did not recommend that however because I felt the snow was already correctly exposed. More exposure would push the BG to white, though not a bad thing, but the snow near the shoulder may have overexposed creating a harsh distracting highlight. Hence my recommendation of fill-flash to fill in the shadows.

Shadows/Highlights can reveal noise, but if used reasonably, can and does enhance an image created under less then ideal circumstances.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I agree that fill flash would have been good. However, I would normally use a positive exposure compensation. Else, pulling it up in post processing gives me noise and I dont like that. I agree with Robert regarding some space at the bottom and at the side as well. Eye contact could have been better.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Arthur Morris]

I love the unique crop and pose. If you had properly exposed for the squirrel (as you should have done) it is not likely--given the soft light/white-out conditions--that the BKGR would have been over-EXP.

Welcome to BPN and thanks a ton for your membership support.

Oooops; great job on the repost by Robert A.

[massimomossi]

Thanks for your comments, and encouragement. To Arthur Morris in particular: in the feedback to another of my posts, I was sent to your article on "Exposure Simplified"--am greatly enjoying it and working to put your excellent instructions into practice.

As for my membership support, it's paid me back in huge dividends already.

Thank you!

Massimo